USPS - The United States Postal Service
05/26/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/26/2021 08:57
USPS will issue new Sun Science Forever stamps June 18
What:
The U.S. Postal Service illuminates the light and warmth of our nearest star by highlighting these stunning images of the sun on stamps. These 10 images come from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, a spacecraft launched in February 2010 to keep a constant watch on the sun.
The stamps were designed by Antonio Alcalá. Each of these photos has been colorized by NASA to correspond with the wavelengths that reveal specific features of the sun's activity.
News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #NASASunScience and #SunSciencestamps.
Who:
Thomas J. Marshall, general counsel and executive vice president, U.S. Postal Service
Dennis Andrucyk, center director, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA
Dr. C. Alex Young, associate director for science, Heliophysics Science Division, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA
Dr. Yaireska M. Collado-Vega, director of the Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office, Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA
When:
Friday, June 18, 2021, at 11 a.m. EDT
Where:
RSVP:
To comply with NASA's COVID-19 social distancing restrictions and parking availability at the venue, a limited number of tickets are available for this event.
Attendees are required to RSVP at: usps.com/sunsciencestamps.
The story behind the stamps will also be featured on the Postal Service's Facebook and Twitter pages.
To preorder the stamps and a pictorial postmark of the designated first-day-of-issue city, Greenbelt, MD, go to usps.com/shopstamps.
Background:
The sun is the only star that humans are able to observe in great detail, making it a vital source of information about the universe. The Solar Dynamics Observatory lets us see the sun in wavelengths of ultraviolet light that would otherwise be invisible to our eyes. Each black-and-white image is colorized to the bright hues seen here.
The stamps highlight different features on the sun that help scientists learn about how our star works and how its constantly churning magnetic fields create the solar activity we see. Sunspots, coronal holes and coronal loops, for example, can reveal how those magnetic fields dance through the sun and its atmosphere. Observing plasma blasts and solar flares can help us better understand and mitigate the impact of such eruptions on technology in space.
The Sun Science stamps are being issued as Forever stamps, which will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.